4.22.2011

Befores and Afters

A new improved creative space, hooray hooray!

My studio serves several purposes. On top of being where I paint/sew/draw/create, it's also a family room where we watch movies or play Wii, an extended dining room when we have company, and where we take all the pictures of our art. It's not a room that has a door, and it's just off our kitchen and leads to the back door. It's in the center of things, and that's how I like it. However, it has to stay tidy or the whole house looks like a wreck. 
Here are some before-and-afters for those of you like me who enjoy such things.
(You can click on them to see bigger images.)
Before 
After 
. . .
Before
(This area drove me clutter crazy!)
After
(I LOVE my new shelves, still have to paint them though. Thought I'd live with them for awhile before deciding on a color.)
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Before
After
. . .
Before
After
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Before
(Those wonky old particle board shelves were melting I think.)
After
(I wish I has taken before pics of this little cabinet. It was truly ugly. Now I love it!)
. . .
Before
After
. . .

What I bought:
-a big fat wonderful solid oak table from Craigslist. $80
-a new smaller futon, 2 frames, and a lamp from Target. $230
-shelves. I went back and forth on whether to buy the Martha Stewart collection shelves from Home Depot which would have been only $160 but made of crappy particle board and laminate, or gorgeous handmade shelves from Naked Pine Furniture for $370. That's a lot for us, but I just had to go with the handmade. And I'm so glad I did! Not only are they beautifully made they're guaranteed for a lifetime, not destined to become landfill. Plus, FREE shipping and they came fully assembled. And I can repaint them as many times as my fickle heart desires. I went over budget with the shelves, so everything else I made or repurposed from elsewhere in the house. Which was fun.
I'm very happy with my new improved space!
Now I have to get back to it and finish today's list.

21 comments:

  1. Love it Jo! The colors are so clean and fresh! Hope you get LOTS of inspiration from your new space.

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  2. Anonymous4/22/2011

    I'm loving it too. And I really enjoyed the before and afters.

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  3. I really like how you painted the block of color behind the shelves on the wall. It anchors it on a big wall. Great idea I will be STEALING. ;-) I made some small changes in my space. Mostly those duh moments when you realize your storing stuff on top of the painting surface that you don't need to store there. :-) Makes it work much better.

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  4. Oh! I got a great Craigslist table. Went down a windy camp road to get it, too, all by myself, and then thought..."Gee, I better let someone know where I am..." So I left a message of the GPS coordinates with my husband. It's been a great table. :-)

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  5. As I said on your FB wall, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! You did a fantastic job!

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  6. LOVE everything! I'm sure you will enjoy your new space! The new shelves are awesome! Great job, and thanks for sharing it with us!

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  7. BEAUTIFUL! Looks so inviting! May you have many blessed moments of creating genius amongst those walls.

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  8. congratulations on getting it all together at last! jealous of your workspace!!! lovely!

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  9. It's so beautiful! Just like everything I had seen come out from it! I wonder what the next new wonders will be like :) It's amazing all the things you guys do from that one space and it's looking great and cozy!

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  10. Anonymous4/23/2011

    Such an inspiring space! I love the little things like the swan in the chimney of the fabric house. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Gorgeous Makeover... With the new grey rectangle plus colors behind the shelves, I want to see that quilt back in the picture somewhere...it had all the same feel of colors. Looking at the "after" photos I get a feeling of calm and being able to breathe easier. I agree with "rasmalai", it is amazing what you accomplish out of that cozy space! Very inspiring; thanks for that.

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  12. Doesn't it feel great to have your space all fresh & organized? I'm not EVEN surprised at what a terrific job you did, or of how good it looks! I KNEW you'd make it look wonderful! That little cabinet is so pretty & cheerful, as are the new compartments in your shelving! And that table? WOW!!! LOVE what you did! Happy Easter to you, Dylan, and your lil' chickies! LOVE YOU!

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  13. A job well done, Jo!
    I just posted some pics of my own studio so I have included a link to your post..
    Love seeing other people's workplace!

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  14. Outstanding! Must be something in the air because I've become fed up with my studio as well and am being ruthless as I whip it into shape! :)

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  15. It's just wonderful!! You're inspiring me to do something about my space, hehe...

    ♥ Carolee

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  16. It looks GREAT!!! Congratulations and ENJOY!!

    Warmly,
    Cheryl

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  17. Well done! I think my favorite is the valance. It is so perfectly Cart before the horse! Happy late Easter!

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  18. This is inspiring!! :D I love to see other folks' creative spaces. The banners are so cheery!

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  19. I love seeing pictures of other artist's studios :) They are usually just as inspiring as their work.

    I was wondering what sort of light you use for your photographing station (I thought I saw one on a tripod but I wasn't sure).

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  20. Desiree- We use an Ott Light. Love it!

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